Court allows suspended DMDK members to vote in RS poll

Chennai, June 24 (IANS) The Madras High Court Monday said the six suspended DMDK legislators can vote in the June 27 Rajya Sabha elections, giving a breather to the party.

Passing the order on a petition filed by the suspended legislators, the court permitted them to vote in the June 27 Rajya Sabha elections.

The six legislators were suspended for six months for unruly behaviour in the assembly.

The DMDK has decided to contest the Rajya Sabha elections from the state and has fielded A.R. Elangovan as its candidate.

The second-largest party in the assembly after the ruling AIADMK, the DMDK has 29 legislators.

However, seven of them have rebelled, praising Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. The party has requested all its legislators, including the rebels, to vote in favour of Elangovan.

A candidate from Tamil Nadu needs 34 votes to get elected to the Rajya Sabha.

While the AIADMK has a strength of 151 (including the speaker) in the 235-member house, the DMDK has 29 legislators, the DMK 23, CPI-M 10, CPI eight and the Congress five.

Six Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu retire next month. As per the current position in the assembly, all four candidates of the ruling AIADMK and the sole Communist Party of India candidate are expected to romp home safely. The contest will be for the sixth seat between the DMK's Kanimozhi and the DMDK's Elangovan.

The Congress with five legislators has not expressed its choice of support - DMK or DMDK - though both the parties have requested for its support.

Two small parties - Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and Puthiya Tamizhagam - with two legislators each, had earlier pledged their support for Kanimozhi, taking the total number of votes in her favour to 27.